Nearing Permanence
by skimthrough
Summary: Logan and Veronica celebrate Christmas together for the first time in nine years. Logan's gifting methods haven't changed much. (Originally published on 12/22/14.)


**A/N** : For pointlesswords.

This story was written for the **Veronica Mars Holiday Gift Exchange 2014**. I was assigned to write for pointlesswords. It's not exactly what you requested in your prompts, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!

Many thanks to **Leah** for her beta skills and to everyone who continues to encourage me when I get panicky about posting fic. :)

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If someone confessed to Veronica Mars a year ago that she would celebrate her next Christmas in Neptune, California, she probably would have believed it. Granted, she'd question the logistics and demand to also know where she landed her first big lawyering job. But, yes, she would have believed it.

If someone confessed that Veronica would celebrate Christmas as a resident of Neptune, alongside Keith Mars and Logan Echolls – her boyfriend, again, of nine months, who recently returned home safely from his deployment as a Navy fighter pilot – she probably would have laughed for five minutes and then walked away feeling nauseous.

This is ironic and mind-boggling to consider now as Veronica lounges on her dad's living room couch on Christmas Eve, while the two most important men in her life are huddled together in front of her on the floor, studying a paper instruction book as they attempt to assemble Keith's new surround sound system that Logan gave him.

Earlier, they all enjoyed a somewhat elaborate and festive Christmas dinner, entrees and sides courtesy of Logan's disgustingly impressive culinary skills, followed by desserts, Veronica's specialty. Then, they cleaned the kitchen and opened a few presents, despite that all three had agreed on a policy of no gifting this year.

Now, it's movie time. That's the plan, anyway. However, Logan and Keith continue to struggle, and are now in agreement that the instructions they're following are "shit at actually explaining anything."

"You know, boys," Veronica interjects, eliciting over-the-shoulder looks from both Logan and Keith. "If I were doing this, we'd be twenty minutes into _The Santa Clause_ by now."

When Logan and Veronica finally leave Keith's house that night, they go straight to Veronica's new apartment, one that's far from roomy or elegant, but that finally feels like home to her after weeks of effort to make it such.

Logan, on the other hand, has been back in Neptune for almost two months and continues to drag his feet about securing a place of his own. He _does_ frequent her apartment and she's _not_ complaining, but she still wishes he had something for himself right now that isn't an extra room at Dick's. But that's a discussion for another time, when her bed isn't so generously, impatiently calling for them.

Veronica finishes loading the last of the leftovers from dinner into her fridge just as Logan eases something across the kitchen counter top in her direction.

A miniature off-white envelope awaits her attention, decorated only by shimmery green and silver ribbon and a tag that reads _V. Mars_ in Logan's handwriting. Veronica stares at it briefly and then peers up at Logan with suspicion.

"It's for you," Logan says, his tone hushed but assured. He leans against one side of the kitchen's entryway, one hand tucked into a side pocket of his jeans, wearing a sober expression.

Veronica feels the color in her cheeks begin to deepen, and she's acutely aware that her now softened, love struck gaze surely gives her away to him. Her reaction is unavoidable, though – and not something that she wishes to hide from him – because the smaller and more unexpected a gift from Logan, the heavier it weighs on her. And on them.

Like at thirteen, when Logan returned to school after a three-day movie set visit with Aaron and Lynn in New York. With Logan came a sterling silver soccer ball charm for Veronica. He always joined her at their table before anyone else, and this day was no different. Logan carefully placed the charm next to Veronica's brown bag as he sat down across from her. _"You like soccer, right?"_ Logan said in between bites of his pizza, his demeanor resolved despite his ever-present fidgeting. _"And you and Lilly have those bracelets or whatever_." Friendship charm bracelets, she and Lilly bought them together a few months prior. And yeah, Veronica liked soccer.

At seventeen, in the early days of clandestine kisses, when they did almost anything but talk to each other. One morning, Veronica filled Logan's phone with eleven text messages, all sent with urgency between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Lilly's necklace was gone, as of two days ago, and it must be at his house and Veronica needed it back. Within minutes of showing up at school, Logan met Veronica in the girls' bathroom. _"Ah, 'out of order'_ again _?"_ He shook his head, feigning disappointment. _"Well, perfect timing. I have a surprise for you."_ With a smirk, Logan held the necklace up in front of Veronica's face. Her jaw dropped, eyes widened, and she snatched it from his hand, a hushed "jackass" slipping from her lips just as quick before they caught his.

Then, a few days into nineteen and their first semester at Hearst, when Logan's bonus birthday present to Veronica was a key card to his suite at The Grand. They sat in a cafeteria that buzzed with conversation, nervous excitement, and new beginnings, all silence compared to the roaring wave of Logan's actions. A flimsy piece of plastic, a bright red bow, and four words that he conveyed to her over and over again, and would many times more: _"I only want you."_

"So, you gonna open this or what?" Logan asks.

Veronica reaches for the gift, using the counter to balance out but not conceal the unsteadiness that has come over her. She removes the ribbon, the tag, and works open the envelope. Inside, she finds a silver key, not one she recognizes, and attached to it is a tiny airplane pendant.

"This," Logan says, pointing to the key and pendant that now lie in Veronica's open palm, "gets you into my new beach house. Into _our_ new beach house, in a way, because I'm hoping you'll want to spend time there, too."

"Logan Echolls" is all Veronica can utter, and she does so with a hint of frustration. "When did you purchase _a beach house_? We just went to look at a few options _four days ago_ and haven't talked about it since."

His response is cautious, but also amused. "I went back the next morning and completed the paperwork for one of them. Sealed the deal."

Veronica closes her hand into a fist, holding the key in place, and crosses her arms. She eyes Logan pointedly. "And which one was that?"

"You," he replies, moving to lessen distance between them, and he puts his arms low around her waist, "make a pretty convincing argument, Veronica."

She looks up at him, unable to conceal her shock. "You didn't."

"Come visit me sometime and you'll see that I did."

Veronica can't believe it's his now, her favorite of the four they looked at, a dream of a beach house that suits him incredibly well, suits _them_ incredibly well.

She stands up tall, lifting her chin, and Logan dips down to meet her halfway, kissing her deeply. She pulls back, laughing a little, and her fingers hold onto the airplane pendant, her key to his house dangling between them. "I like this. And I like you. Like, _a lot_."

He smiles, brushes her cheek with two kisses, and then says, "I like you _a lot_ , too. Merry Christmas, Veronica."


End file.
